Christmas lights are decorative lights that generally include a primary cord that plugs into an outlet. Attached to the primary cord are lights that may have various colors. Some types of lights are replaceable, while others are permanently connected. Some Christmas lights are designed to look like icicles and include a plurality of shorter strings of lights connected to the primary cord, while other types of lights are connected directly to the primary cord.
For most people, Christmas lights are used seasonally. They are generally displayed inside or outside the house in December and removed later in the winter. When lights are removed from the house or other structure, they are then stored until the following year.
Storage of Christmas lights presents various problems. Perhaps the most common problem is breaking lights or damaging the cord. When lights are simply placed in a box, they may break when the box is dropped or when the lights touch each other. Also, the primary cord or other cord or connection may be bent in such a manner that the cord is damaged, possibly rendering the lights nonfunctional when they are removed the following year. Another problem with storing lights in a box is that separate strings of lights may become entangled. The strings may become knotted with themselves or with other strings. This creates a frustrating situation for the user when the lights are taken from storage the following year. These problems are in addition to the problem of finding sufficient space to store the boxes of lights.
One storage solution used by some individuals is to try to re-pack the lights into their original containers. Although this might provide limited protection and organization, the light strings are often difficult to fit back into their original container. Also, the string may still be bent, the string may still become twisted or knotted about itself, and the lights may still contact each other, causing the problems identified. Further, storage of lights in their original boxes does not solve the problem of requiring storage space in the home for storing the lights when they are not in use. What is needed is a more convenient way to store Christmas lights and other corded items.